A day to remember!!

Today, 12^th July, is a special day for me for 2 reasons. 

The first reason is that 16 years ago we arrived on the Isle of Bute and moved into our new flat. I had never been here before and had only seen a few pictures that Terry had taken a few weeks earlier when he came up here to view some flats. He put in an offer on one, it was accepted the next day and 6 weeks later we arrived.

It was the start of a new life; living on a small island close to the sea (well ok, technically not the sea, but close enough for me!!) Peace & quiet,  lovely scenery, lots of walks along the beaches. Everything was perfect.

Then along came cancer and the reason why 12^th July is special for another reason. 

8 years ago today I went  over to The Beatson in Glasgow for my last radiotherapy treatment; my treatment for womb cancer was finally over.

I’d like to say that since then things have returned to some sort of normality but the truth is it hasn’t. If you have been following my blogs or know me via FB then you will know that it’s not been that straightforward.

There are no more walks along the beaches; these days I can barely walk down the stairs to hang the washing out.

Every day when I get out of bed, I am reminded that cancer came into my life and I am still living with the after–effects.

Cancer does not care about who you are, how much money you earn,  what kind of person you are or what football team you follow!!

They reckon that by 2020, 1 in 2 people will have been diagnosed with cancer. That is a hell of a lot of people – you have a 50/50 chance of being one of them, if you haven’t already been diagnosed.

They also say that a positive attitude helps you deal with it all; well I tried to stay positive when I was going through it all 8 years ago but I have nothing to be positive about now, however hard I try.

So each year, 12^th July will continue to be a reminder  that there are good things and bad things that happen to us in life. 

I guess you can’t really have one without the other.

Bring on the rain!!

Well, we rarely seem to get more than two or three days of decent sunny weather up here on west coast of Scotland but we are now into our 4th week I think it is of virtually wall to wall sunshine and high temperatures and the forecast is for at least another 2 weeks of the same.

Call me a moaner if you want, and quite a few people have already, but when you have chronic health conditions weather like this is unbearable and not nice in the slightest.
It can make existing health conditions worse and can also create new health issues yet many people just don't seem to care or understand how it affects us.

As someone who has never been one for sitting out in the sun anyway, I find it even harder to tolerate the heat and humidity since having my treatment for womb cancer back in 2010.


I can't understand, and never have, why people think its a good idea to strip off and basically fry themselves. They literally are "dying for a tan".








Cases of melanoma or skin cancer are on the rise and yet many people are unaware of the symptoms or basically just don't care.

We all know that Vitamin D is good for you and the best source is sunshine but that doesn't mean you should be sitting out in the sun for hours on end.

It amazes me that people who have already had cancer will happily sit out in blazing sunshine because they want a good tan. Do they not realise that having had cancer once you are more prone to getting it a second time? Or do they really not care anyway?

It also shocks me to see young children playing out in the hot sunshine without any protection like hats or long sleeves. And don't get me started on people who walk their dogs in this hot weather. 


It can take many years sometimes before skin cancer shows itself so you may get a good tan today but is it a price worth paying?


For more information check out the NHS website here